Wolf Six/ 1 - The Alpha
Chapter 1 of the Wolf Six. UNSC Anchor's hand //Battlegroup Helens, BGD-30\\ //On orbit of SRA-System\\ //July 15, 2548\\ Battlegroup Helens wasn't the star of the UNSC fleet. It was just a standard battlegroup of the UNSC having only 3 Marathon Class Heavy Cruisers, 18 Charon Frigates and 7 Paris Class Heavy Frigates. If it weren't up for the UNSC, this was likely a classified operations sent by ONI and let one of their lapdogs to watch. The officer Rear Admiral Palics Stovrov was incharge of the fleet. With the ONI spook behind him on his bridge eyeing his every move, every actions and every orders he bark at his lieutenants. SRA-System was the quietest of the UNSC's systems. You can definetly do as much as you can from this system being all empty and that. But that changed when a Covenant Fleet slipspaced to this system a few weeks ago. Knocking out a Science's team space station that led ultimately to the deaths of one of the important key scientists and members. Of course Paragonsky doesn't have a taste for war. She usually likes cleaning up the mess of the enemy even the UNSC. No matter the cost. Despite her age, she was still an expert. And she would send in her lapdogs to take care of the rest by finding out what humanity can do with the technology they currently have. The UNSC was losing. Victories were hammered down by the Covenant as they steal it like playing football in only just fifteen seconds. Your life would be the cost of just saving many of your comrades. The Covenant were already ontop of the UNSC, having to outnumber them, outgun them and even outran them at their addiction to Forerunner technology. Now ONI is watching the UNSC's progress if they want to win this war to save humanity from extiction, or lose. Unfavorable of that outcome, the UNSC Anchor's hand would be the flagship of the fleet and where the fleet commander is. Even the spook. Informations were already leaking out and secrecy of the SPARTAN's public appearance would be the image of humanity's survival. Or saviors. Despite imagining all those Shiva Warheads and Archer Missiles raining down the Covenant Fleet, it wouldn't do a thing like what happened in the Campaign of Harvest. "Would you mind getting back to your quarters?" The fleet commander Stovrov looked back at the staring spook. "I know one of Paragonsky's sniffing lieutenants sent you in here to watch me. But you'll get your report and the detail you need once my officer briefs you from your quaters." The spook chuckled, likely not to follow his orders. "My orders are clear and you should follow it Admiral. Do you have a problem with that? Also the view here from the bridge seems simple. Instead of standing a on a near impenetrable glass floor of the ship's Observation Deck. I don't trust the spacing, the integrity." "Be glad of what we have," Stovrov says "Cause when we lose the war, this ship may be the last one you ever cruise on. We're limited in numbers, options, officers, especially soldiers. You saw what the Covenant can do around these days. They glassed half of the Inner Colonies and they might as damn well melt every colonies that are inhabited by us. As long as they don't find Reach, or more importantly. Earth." The fleet commander would look up at the radar again. Looking at any signs of Covenant Ships on the area. With luck, there were no covenant ships showing up on their radar. Even in the orbit of the planet they currently are on. This was no time to rest or relax. As Stovrov knows when the Covenant will appear. His last engagement involved more than a half of their ships lost despite destroying only 5 CSS Covenant Battlecruisers. He wouldn't let that happen again. Not another massacre he can face or go through. "Have 3 Frigates outside the Fleet's formation and scout. Longswords to escort them, I don't want to be surprised or ambushed by Covenant Attacks." He ordered one of the officers on the bridge. Having that officer only to respond with a salute and sends the order through the terminal he's currently on. Messages like these would be sent fast depending on the range. At this time, there were no advanced warships that can transmit any message or transmissions more than 5 lightyears away. Stovrov asked once more, but this seems to calm him for a bit. "Where's our wolf?" "He's at the hangar sir." "Have him sent to the bridge ASAP. Along with his partner." "Yes sir," The other officer uses the intercoms of the ship and calls in for the "Wolf" they have and his partner. "SPARTAN-B402, report to the bridge. The admiral wants to see you along with your partner." Stovrov faces the spook again. "You know about the wolf don't you?" "He's ONI." "Right, is he Paragonsky's lapdog or pet?" "No." The spook replied. Using his datapad to check for any logs or data currently on this ship. Vehicle assets, number of pelicans, marines, officers and especially Stovrov's personal information. "She already picked a protege for her fancy stuff. She wouldn't pick a SPARTAN to be her "next-in-line" of her position. But believe me Admiral, it's classified. Nothing to touch or bother with." The Alpha and the Wolf Personal business headed by SPARTAN B-402 was one of the things that a Spartan under a group of SPARTANs that wasn't suppose to exist would at first meddle with things inside the hangar. The silent, rookie but sleepyhead Xyline-B163 would rather sleep on her job despite not being able to cooperate on a mass suicide mission that involved over 300 SPARTAN-IIIs from Beta Company. She was with one of the oldest SPARTANs on the company. Even at her young age being part of the SPARTANs, she's already talkative. Less serious in the matter, annoying. "Hey," She stood up from the metal boxes she was sitting on, as she approaches her partner. B-402 was taller than her. Despite that his height makes the marines think he's better than the Chief. Though, only Xyline knows the truth that the height of the SPARTAN doesn't matter. Even when it shadows the light from her. "Where did you live by the way?" He looked back at her, like a robot slowly rotating to face his master. But that was just his annoying partner. Wolf Six's rookie. "Glassed." "Glassed? That doesn't make any sense." She shrugged. "You wouldn't need to know anyway," He loads up his Sniper Rifle, then comparing the numbers of ammunition he has left. Armored Piercing Bullets, Incendiary Bullets, and those Anti-Armor bullets. He compared the sharpness, the tip of those bullets. Whether they would penetrate to their supposed roles and targets. "The planet's classified. I only remember losing a lot of important things that you have at your side. I wouldn't want to hear it anyway." "Aren't you cold? Did you lose your heart to care at least?" "I care about succeeding the mission we're currently assigned to." "What about me?" "Don't bet on it," He doesn't seem to be glad about the question that Xyline just shoot at him right now. "Once you're dead, no one's going to retrieve you. This ain't the grounds you were suppose to be assigned to. Your deployment's a little delayed but be glad you got into the groups of soldiers that you want revenge against the aliens that took your world. Don't be a such an idiot for asking dozens of questions where and how did I managed to pull everything from those horrible memories. We're wolves, we howl when we strike. We don't cry or discredit the face of the military. Even humanity." "Right, whatever." Xyline sits back to the crates she once sat on. As she loads the same weapon as B402 has. "At least tell me something that would pull interest on your likings-" "SPARTAN-B402, please proceed to the Anchor's Hand bridge along with your partner. The Admiral wants to talk to you two." "The Alpha's howling for us." B402 stood up and leads the way for her rookie to follow. A few walks to the bridge isn't confusing. But you get lost on this large ship however. The UNSC Anchor's Hand would be one of those UNSC Modified Warships that the crew knows. An onboard AI to keep track of the ship's manifest, conditions and numbers. Even one human being inside the ship counts as part of a critical target for the ship's crew numbers. The medical center, part of the Anchor's Hand was one of the largest section of the ship. As they can see those refugees from the previous colony being treated by the ship's medics. Body Bags being used to seal the identities and the figure of the dead. The sick and the injured placed on separate places and rooms. Arriving on the bridge for a few minutes, that would drain half the time of what the UNSC would prepare little of from something else. It was clear that no one knows when and where will the Covenant appear since their technology would be advanced. B402 and Xyline arrived as they were called by the Admiral. Stovrov greeted them with a salute. As the Two Spartans would do the same. Both giving their respects and honor as they were ready for their duties. Alpha huh? Xyline thought of that. B402's nature and sense of humanity was rather confusing than a baby learning its first words from its parents. She looked around at the bridge, noticing a few of the officers inside tired, confused, questioned and curious why they were here on this empty but interesting planet. "At ease SPARTANs," Stovrov activates the panel that would make the AI ship onboard to activate. The AI's name is Velvet, having a personality of a british officer from the 20th Century's event and rather having an appearance of a slender figure type of a woman in her mid-20s. The hologram would only glow her purple. Despite that apperances and clothings of an AI would rather need color. That wasn't pretty much needed. It would make the UNSC's AIs totally look like fashion figures ready to strip off or played with by it's users. "This is Velvet, the Anchor's Hand AI. She'll be the one giving objectives sent to you, by me. It's simple. I'm surprised that ONI would accept rookies despite that SPARTANs don't have one." "Admiral Stovrov, Recon Group Beta scanned an anomaly just outside our fleet formation." Velvet reported for her first ship duties. Being the new, fresh and well made AI created to serve as the ship's navigator, objective sender or even the ship's pilot if there are no one controlling the ship. "Should I call the group to fall back?" "It could be covenant or not, but order the group to stay alert. Then hail a Red Signal once they saw at least one Covenant Ship. Longswords and Pelicans to be aware of those probes that may attach from any of our assets. I don't want to get home unless those kinds of things are off our ship or anything in our tail is destroyed." "Ensuring safety of the colonies sir?" Velvet asked. "Saving it from us more likely," Stovrov sent the orders personally through message. Looking up at the radar screens again attached from the bridge's ceiling. Then he looked back to face the two SPARTANs. "I'm aware that you two are not sure why you were called in here?" "Well sir-" "Don't speak," he cutted Xyline. Probably not making her talk to ensure that she doesn't ask a stupid question or say anything that would be off from military protocol. Ensuring that the rookie doesn't miss a thing to learn from him. "Sir, we are combat ready. And we are aware of the nature of this mission that you are about to give us." "Glad to know that you are SPARTAN. But we're here on the planet and I'm sending you two in down there on that icy world to investigate some interesting activities down there. For now, there are no Covenant forces on the planet but a few strange signatures would be indicated as an anomaly. So this is the mission." Velvet opens up a hologram of the planet's surface in the operations desk. Just in the middle of the bridge. As the three would gather to see their mission's objectives. "The planet is cold, but habitable so to speak." Velvet shows up scientific calculations, scans, data and documents about the cold planet. "There are some flat areas on the ground just good for us to establish a forward operating base. If any case, marines would wear something that can battle off against the cold. There's a large suspicious but relatively anonymous activity down there. Not Covenant. But I'm pretty sure it seems like them. Only if they would fire plasma instead of guns." "Which leaves us to one blind guessing, it maybe the insurrectionists or some group of Elites stranded on the planet." Stovrov added, then letting Velvet continue. "Yes, but there's a structure down there that isn't Covenant or Human at all. According to the scientists onboard the ship, the complex seems to be some kind of library. In addition, a data storage for the common operators like you. There are no available schematics of this complex but at least the outside can give a better picture." She then changed the hologram and screenshots of the planet's surface. "Also, we don't know what's down there. But we best be sure that we have SPARTANs and Marines ready." "The UNSC Cebu and UNSC Blocked Tragedy will deploy several marines and a platoon of ODSTs down there. As well as pelicans for equipment on establishing a FOB." He faces the SPARTANs. "But I need to make sure that the area is clear. You two will go down there first. ONI didn't agree with sending SPARTANs down there for a simple check of recon. But that cold planet is only for you two. Communication will be lined between you and me B402. So the rookie has to stay close or you're both lost to each other." The mission was simple for the two for now. Recon the planet's surface. See anything suspicious. Or anything that is Covenant. This wasn't their first recon mission. But this is the first time they both stepped in to the cold, habitable and yet stormy surface of the planet they are about to drop down to. There was no complains or questions about this mission. As the mission would only be succeeded with a few walks and talks. The SPARTANs were dismissed and ordered to go down to the Ship's ODST Pods. Where they will be sent down through those hard drops that the ODSTs would do. The two were already in their pods. Initiating countdown. As they passed that, the two pods were dropped down to the planet. Lighting up some shockwave-like formation in the spearhead of the pod, the dropping of the pods was hard but freezing. Passing, penetrating and rather a hard but hurried landing down to the snowy ground as the two lonely pods were able to land without any problems. Xyline was able to come out first, then B402. Both regroups to the flare left by B402. Like she was already late on her drop to the ground. As she regroup with him, the two starts to walk along with the long walk of coordinates. Which was roughly 3 kilometers. "Wolves don't last long in the cold. They shelter themselves.." It was the 15th operation of the Wolf Six.